‘Mission: Impossible 5’ Will Be Released in IMAX

A big reason why Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol became the highest-grossing film in the franchise’s history was its spectacular use of the IMAX format (and the IMAX ticket upcharge) to give its action scenes — and particularly Tom Cruise’s Spider-Man-like climb up the side of the Burj Khalifa — a unique scale and scope. Not surprisingly, then, Paramount has announced that when the next Mission: Impossible comes to theaters in July, it will do so on IMAX screens all over the world. Here’s Cruise’s comment from the press release:

IMAX is so important in giving the audience the best experience of the film we have made. I am very happy to have this partnership on the next Mission.

What the press release does not say, sadly, is that Mission: Impossible 5 will be shot on IMAX cameras. Instead, it will be “digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX format.” And no doubt it’ll be cool to see Tom Cruise hanging off the side of a plane on the really big screen, but that stuff always looks better when it’s been shot with IMAX cameras for the highest possible resolution and largest possible image.

Shot on IMAX or not, Mission: Impossible 5 will definitely star Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames, along with new M:I cast members Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Sean Harris. It’s directed by Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Will Staples, and it opens in theaters of both IMAX and itty-bitty size on July 31. The film still needs a subtitle, so I’m gonna suggest Mission: Impossible - Maximum Impossible, so it can be abbreviated to M:IMAX and really hit home the way you’re supposed to see it.